Stranger  /  Music Video Treatment
Sc 01 / Open 0:00 / 1:57
Directed by NoShitJohnny Written by Gianni Music Video Treatment

Stran­ger

Surrounded by everybody. Still a stranger.

Directed by NoShitJohnny Written by Gianni Runtime 1:57 A 2 to 3 day shoot
The Aura p. 01

Not a story.A feeling on repeat.

Extreme closeup of rain running down a face, lit by a cold blue rim light.
Insert. Rain on skin, cold blue rim.

Mood over narrative. There is no chasing a girl, no plot to service. Stranger reads like a pitch deck holding one collective theme: a color, a material, a texture of clothing that ties every frame together. Four worlds, each with its own palette, all orbiting one live action anchor.

Stranger is about being in the middle of everything and still on the outside of it.

“Why are you suspicious now. Life is still a mystery.” From the record, Stranger
A lone figure stands on a dune at dusk facing a vast crowd of identical silhouettes stretching to the horizon.

Sc 02 / The signature image

A crowd to the horizon.

Everyone the exact same. He is the only stranger. Thousands of people, and not one of them with him.

A red lit concert stage under a full lighting rig, dirt blasting in from both sides in slow motion as the artist holds the mic at center.

Sc 03 / The drop

The stage goes red.

The lyric hits, then on the beat the stage goes red and dirt blasts in from both sides in slow motion. Motocross energy. Sound and image land on the same frame.

Sc 04 / The structure

Four palettes. One anchor.

Each world is its own palette, its own material, its own temperature. All of them orbit one live action performance.

A silhouetted artist performs in heavy rain, one hand reaching up through a hard blue backlight beam.

World 01 / Cold blue

The Rain

Black stage, one hard beam, a rain tower overhead, wet reflective floor. The most emotional look.

Dark clods of dirt suspended mid air in crimson light against black.

World 02 / Crimson

The Dust

A red lit stage under a full rig. Dirt splashes in from the sides in slow motion. Motocross energy on a stage.

Empty desert dunes at golden hour dusk, warm haze hanging over the ridgelines.

World 03 / Gold

The Desert

Deep dunes near San Diego, the crowd, the low sun, nothing for miles.

A lone figure dressed in all black stands small inside an infinite bright white studio.

World 04 / Silver

The Studio

An infinite white cyc wall, one figure lost in the negative space. The opposite of the rain.

Sc 05 / The details

Inserts and texture.

The insert macros that sell the world. Cut between the wide anchors like breaths.

Extreme closeup of rain running down a face lit by cold blue rim light.
Rain on skin
A hand gripping a wet microphone.
The wet mic
Dirt clods frozen mid air in red light against black.
Dirt in red
Boots planted on a dirt covered stage in red light.
Boots on the stage
Desert sand streaming through golden light.
Sand in gold
Profile of a face in warm gold desert light.
Profile at dusk
Hands clasped in all black against an infinite white background.
Hands, white world
Rows of identical silhouettes standing in golden haze.
The identical crowd

Drag the strip

Production p. 02

Two to threedays.

Crew

Camera
Directed and shot by NoShitJohnny.
Ground
Family runs as ground crew.
Window
A 2 to 3 day shoot, all four worlds.

Budget, estimate

  • Video team$2,500
  • Editing$500
  • Set build materials$600
  • Studio and stage rigabout $300
  • Crewin house
  • Est. cash floorabout $3,900
Next p. 03

The song islocked.

  1. Song is locked. Stranger.
  2. Write the shot beats.
  3. Previs the four worlds.
  4. Scout and book.
  5. Confirm the window.

Directed by

NoShitJohnny

Stranger. Music Video Treatment. Directed by NoShitJohnny. Written by Gianni. Runtime 1:57